Nikon AW130 Review

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Basic Specifications
Full model name:	Nikon Coolpix AW130
Resolution:	16.00 Megapixels
Sensor size:	1/2.3 inch (6.2mm x 4.6mm)
Lens:	5.00x zoom (24-120mm eq.)
Viewfinder:	No / OLED
Native ISO:	125 - 1600
Extended ISO:	125 - 6400
Shutter:	1/4000 - 4 sec
Max Aperture:	2.8
Dimensions:	4.3 x 2.6 x 1.1 in. (110 x 66 x 27 mm)
Weight:	7.8 oz (221 g) includes batteries
Availability:	03/2015
Manufacturer:	Nikon
Full specs:	Nikon AW130 specifications

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16.00 Megapixels	5.00x zoom	1/2.3 inch size sensor

Nikon AW130 Review -- Initial Impressions

by Dave Pardue
Posted 01/09/2015

The biggest frontier in waterproof cameras over the course of the past year has been in the depth department. Where Canon's D30 came out last year rated at a then record-breaking 82 feet, 49 feet deeper than the D20, Nikon's AW130 comes in rated at 100 feet(!), which is 41 feet deeper than the AW120's already impressive 59 feet. 100 feet is in fact deeper than your typical recreational dive course, and is quite an impressive spec for an adventure compact (one we'll be sure to test for you in a deep local lake once a sample arrives).

So, they say it goes deeper... but what else is new?

Starting with the other two sides of the rugged triangle, the AW130 is rated as shockproof to a drop from as high as 7 feet (a half foot higher than the AW120) and freezeproof to the same 14°F (for metric users, this is 30m deep, 2.1m high and -10°C). And so it appears that depth is the only side that got any appreciable improvement, but what an improvement it is, as you're now ready to descend the Cayman Wall! (For a little bit, anyway.)

Additionally, this model now offers Near Field Communication (NFC) for ease in pairing and transferring images to a compatible smart device, along with Wi-Fi and GPS which were present on the AW120. Nikon Snapbridge is a new term for their method of transferring images to smart devices, one we'll try and test for you once we receive a sample.

Most other primary features and specs remain unchanged, starting with a 3-inch, 921K-dot OLED display, although with the claim of "updated ergonomics." We'll know more about that as well once we get one into our lab to test. The lens appears to be unchanged, offering 5x optical zoom with an equivalent range of 24mm - 120mm across an aperture range of f/2.8 - 4.9 with 12 elements in 10 groups. Both lens shift and electronic VR are onboard to help combat camera shake and keep images clear.

The sensor remains a 1/2.3" 16-megapixel chip, with an ISO range of 125 - 1600, extendable to ISO 6400 when using Auto mode. Autofocus modes remain the same, with 5 available settings including Center, Face priority, Manual selection with 99 focus areas, Subject tracking and Target Finding AF. Three metering settings are available including Matrix, Center-weighted and Spot.

Also remaining unchanged is the option for 4x digital zoom which takes you to 480mm eq. range, although a tripod is certainly recommended for utilizing this function. Dynamic Fine Zoom offers better performance than basic digital zoom, and is available at 2x, or 240mm eq. range. Burst performance stays the same at a rated 7fps with 5 frames total in a burst. Action Control is also brought over from the predecessor to allow for operation with wrist-flicking action while wearing gloves underwater.

Full HD video options remain unchanged with both 30p and 60i resolutions (25p/50i PAL) in .MOV format with H.264/MPEG-4 AVC encoding. HD and VGA settings are also available for lower resolution video recording, as well as some high speed modes ranging from 12.5p at Full HD for a speed-up effect to 120p at VGA for slo-mo. The AW130 is capable of accepting SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards.

Exposure compensation is offered from -2.0 to +2.0 in 1/3 EV steps, while there are six available exposure modes: Auto, Scene, Scene Auto Selector, Short Movie Show, Smart Portrait and Special Effects. There are 19 scene modes available, including Easy Panorama.

The Nikon Coolpix AW130 will be available in March for about US$350, and will be offered in yellow, blue or black color choices.